Apparatus for operating alarms.



J. P. ASHEY.

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING A'LARMS.` v APPLICATION FILED JAN.5,1912. Lmgw? mme@ Feb. 2s, 1915. l 2 sHEETs-$aEBT 1.

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J. P. ASHBY.

APPARATUS POR OPERATING ALARMS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, 1912,

191.2%05?, Patented Feb.23,1915.

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Specication of Letters Patent. Patented Feb., 33, lig-it application llel January 5, 191,2. Serial No.66992,

To all wwm t may concern 2B@ it known that li, loi-In AsnnY, a

Acitizen ci the United States, 'residing at 'Worcesten in the county oic Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have 1n 'vented and useful Improvement in Apparatus Operating Alarms, of which the following is a specification, accompanied by drawings forming a 4pa'rt of the same. 4

My invention relates to an alarm operating mechanism and particularly to that class sprinkler systems" 4lt has for its ob3ect to simplify the construction ci' this class of devicesy and render Awhich is usedA in connection. with automatic y their action more eilicientland-certain." li.

accomplish this object by theyebnstruction and arrangement of parts afs hereinafter described and pbinted out in," the yamnexed' claims.

Figure l 4represents a centrahveiitical `sec'- tional view through thc'valvefeasing andr position. Fig. 2 is a similar sect' nale/view# it erating an alarm and,embodyingvmy/invenw` tion, showing the chccli'fvalvefin; lts'closed showing the check valve in4 a 4r Fig. 3 is aplan View shov'rf i, f the plane of 'the hrlolien ,line 1 with a portion of tliegchec'li valve 'removed Similar reference Sharectex/tsrefertosimiA lar parts in the diil'ereuft ligures.; l'

An automatic alarm device is employed 'sed positioi.

in connection with a sprinklersystem/forthe purpose of causing an alarm/torba sounded whenever a current of Water under pressure is caused to pass continuously through the system as would be caused by theopening of one or more sprinkler heads, andthe apparatus for controlling the alarm in connection with a sprinkler system must be so constructed than a temporary flow of Water through the supply pipe, such as might be caused by a Water hammer, will not cause an alarm to be sounded.

.ln the accompanying drawings l have shown' so much of a device .tor controlling yan alarm by the flow of water through the supply pipe as will :illustrate the character of my ypresent invention as applied to an automatic sprinkler system My present invention is designed to be operativein connection with the usual check valve comprised in an automatic sprinkler system. The check valve of the sprinkler.

vsystem is shown at 1 and the valve seat at 2, by which the check valve is arranged to close theywater supply passage 3 and prevent the flow of water under pressure into a valve chamber 4 and from the valve chamber through a passage 5 to the sprinkler heads. In the present instance the check valve 1 is attached to a lever 6 upona pin 7 held in a Valvecasing 8. The valve seat 2 is'pro rvidedavith an annular channel 9 whichl is normally closed by the check valve 1. Upon 5a metal post li is mounted adapted, as the one side of the valve seat 2 the annular chandiaphragm is raised, to be moved between metalbars 15 and 16 forming the terminals Oife/n. electric circuit. The diapln'agm is p, s'sed downward by a spring 17, holding t "e post ll-normally out of contact with the v"barsll and 1G.

-The lower end of the receiving chamber 11 is provided with an outlet pipe 18. The passage through the pipe 18 is provided with 'yalve 19/ adapted to close the passage ,k through the pipe 18 by its contact with -a zvalve' y'seat 20. The valve 19 is carried on vthe/end of a pivoted lever 21, pivoted at 22 upon the lower end of a plate 23 attached to one of the side walls of the chamber 11.

The lever 21m-curved upwardly at 24 and extends through the passage 10, with its upper end 25 extending above the valve seat 2 when the check valve 1 is raised as shown in Fig. 2, allowing the Weight of the valve 19 to carry it into Contact with the valve seat 20 and close the outlet passage through the pipe 18. When the check valv 1 is closed, its Weight is sufficient to depressthe end 25 of the lever 21 and raise the valv 19 into the position shown in Fig. 1, thereby opening the outlet passage.

The casing 8 of the valve chamber fl and the 'casing 27 of the receiving chamber 11 are preferably cast in a single integral piece having'a common dividing wall 28, provided at its lower edge With anopening 29 with which the passage 10 in the valve seat comn -municates The. lever 6 upon which the check valvel is carried is provided with a sp'r`30 adapted, as the check valve is raised, to contact With a boss 31 on the inside of a removable cap 32.

The operation of my device is as follovvs:-'l`he check valve l is normally closed ed a slight distance, as shown in Fig. 2.

When raised'as shown in Fig. 2, the valve 19 is allowed to drop by its own Weight and close the outlet passage through the pipe 18. When the liow of Water caused by the water hammer ceases, the check valve falls into its normal position, striking'the end 25 Aof the pivoted lever 21 and lifting' the valve 19, thereby opening the outlet passage and allowing the. accumulated water in the receiving'ehamber l1 to escape. The receiving chamber 1is of such size that the accumulation of water diie to Water hammers is not ,suiieient to exert a pressure upon the diaphragm 13 great enough to overcome the tension of the spring 1'?.

2G hier head is opened, a How of Water through the system occurs which raises the checkr alve l into the position indicated by broken receiving chamber l1 until the latter gradu- 25 ally fills suliiciently to raise thediaphragm 13, thereby lifting the metal post 1l into 'Contact with the bars 15 and 16 and completing an electric circuit, `which includes a bell, 4not shown, by which an alarm is sounded.

y The removable cap 32 allows access to the I valve chamber f1, and a similar removable cap 3l permits accessto the receiving chamber 11.

1 claim, 1. ln a mechanism for operating an alarm, a water supply passage having therein a valve chamber, a check valve within said valve chamber for normally closing said Water supply passage, a receiving chamber,

40 a passage between said receiving' chamber Aand said valve chamber normally closed by said cheek valve, an outlet for said receiving Chamber, a valve for closing saidv outlet, and means for normally holding said outlet i' 45 valve open bv the weight of said check valve whenthe latter is closed.

v 2. In a mechanism for operating an alarm, a Water supply passage having therein a valve chamber, a receiving chamber, a

In case a sprin-v lmes 33, lfig. 2. Water then flows into the.

in a valve chamber, a check` valve within said y valve chamber for normally closing 'said Water supply passage, a receiving chamber having a normally7 open outlet, a. passa ge between said valve chamber and said receiving chamber, a valve for said outlet., and means inclosed in said communicating passage operable by the movement of said check valve for opening and closing said outlet valve.

4l. In a mechanism for operating an alarm, a Water supply passage, a valve and valve seat for closing said passage, a receiving chamber, a passage communicating at one end with the receiving chamber and terminating at its other end in the surface of said valve seat so as to be opened and closed by said valve, and means e.\t'entlin,-7 through said passage for controlling the accumulation of water in said receiving,r cham- In a mechanism of the class described,

means for conveying a pressure medium, a

normally closed check valvewithin said means, adapted to be opened by the 'passage of pressure medium therethrough, a chum'- ber provided with pressure actuated mecha,y

nism for operating an alarm, a passgiggb'. tween said chamber and said pressure me dium conveying means normally closed byv said check valve, and means, operated by the Weight of said check valve when in closed position for permitting the escape of pressure medium from said chamber. Y. .'lOHN P. ASHEY. v"Jlitnesses:` i Psxntorn Con/tesamen', NELLm WVHALEN.

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